Clasp



Oct. 23, 1956 4 LQMBARDL [JR 2 761452 CLASP Filed Sept. 16, 1953.

IN VEN TOR-v moauavs 0 9mm J. LOMBARDl, B JR United States Patent CLASP Donato J. Lombardi, In, North Providence, R. I., assignor to Fulford Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application September 16, 1953, Serial No. 380,510

4 Claims. (Cl. 24-153) This invention relates to a clasp which may be used to fasten several sheets of material together and is more particularly designed for holding a plurality of transparent pockets in a pass case of a billfold.

An object of this invention is to provide a clasp which will hold assembled a plurality of pieces of material in the desired relationship.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clasp which may be readily separated for the addition or subtraction of the material being held.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device which may be inexpensively manufactured and consist of few parts.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the clasp of my invention:

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the body portion of the clasp;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the keeper portion;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the clasp with the keeper in partialy removed position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a clasp in closed position holding a plurality of pieces of material.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a body portion of generally U-shaped material having two upstanding arms which are provided with a hole or aperture therein. I provide a keeper unit for this clasp consisting of an undulated bar having inturned ends, the inturned ends being adapted to engage the holes in the upstanding arms of the body portion.

With reference to the drawings, generally designates the clasp of my invention, which comprises a base portion 11 having two upstanding arms 12 and 13 at each end thereof. The base portion 11 is preferably formed of one piece of material, which will be integral with the arms 12 and 13, although if desired the parts may be made separate and soldered together in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Each of the arms 12 and 13 is provided with a hole or aperture therein 14, the holes 14-14 being disposed so that their axes are on one continuous straight line.

A keeper designated generally 15 comprises a piece of sheet stock having one and a half undulations and inturned ends 16 and 17. While I have shown one and a half undulations, it is to be understood that any number of uncompleted waves may be provided, so long as the center portion of the keeper 15 has a raised portion 18. It is additionally necessary that the keeper 15 be made out of material which will exhibit a spring action and which will not exhibit any characteristics of permanent deformation under normal usage. As shown in Fig. 1, the inturned ends 16 and 17 of the keeper 15 are designed to be fitted within the holes 14 in the upstanding arms 12 and 13, the depending portions 19 of the undulations being generally adapted to engage the material being held (Figs. 4 and 5).

As shown in Fig. 4, one of the ends 16 of the keeper 15 may be detached from the arm 13 by applying a pressure on the portion 18 in the direction shown by arrow 20. This pressure will tend to lengthen the keeper 15, the inturned end 16 being disengaged from the hole 14 by virtue of this longitudinal elongation. After the end 16 has become disengaged from the hole 14, the keeper may be slightly swung laterally or upwardly and lifted at the free end thereof and with a slight longitudinal movement the other end 17 will become readily disengaged and additional sheets of material may be readily inserted or removed from the upstanding arms 12 and 13. The keeper may be readily attached by inserting one of the inturned ends 16 or 17 into one of the holes 14, a pressure, as indicated by arrow 20 in Fig. 4, being applied to give an elongation to the keeper 15, which pressure may be released as the other inturned end is lined up with its corresponding hole 14, the end passing into the hole 14. Thus, with this arrangement of parts a complete detachment of the keeper 15 from the body portion 11 may be readily effected very quickly, as well as a quick assembly of the parts should the manufacturer or user desire to remove or insert material which would be held thereby.

I claim:

1. A clasp for securing sheaves of material together comprising two upstanding arms having means joining them together at one end thereof, each of said arms having an aperture therein, a keeper having one and a half undulations with inturned ends adapted to engage said apertures the center portion of said keeper being upwardly arched.

2. A clasp for securing sheaves of material together comprising a generally U-shaped member, the upstanding arms of said member having apertures therein, an undulated keeper having inturned ends adapted to engage said apertures.

3. A clasp as in claim 2 wherein said keeper has one and a half undulations, the central portion thereof being upwardly arched with respect to said member.

4. A clasp for securing sheaves of material together comprising two upstanding arms having means joining them together at one end thereof, each of said arms having an aperture therein near the free end thereof, an undulated keeper having an upwardly arched center portion with upwardly arched end portions extending from the base of the arched center portion, said end portions having inturned ends adapted to engage said apertures.

Lottridge Nov. 1, 1904 Yale Jan. 3, 1950 

